


Alula

by Silent_Skies



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Canon Divergent, F/F, Pining Ymir, Ymir is a little shit, YumiHisu, curse, krista makes very bad decisions
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-18
Updated: 2018-01-26
Packaged: 2018-12-31 02:02:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,797
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12122127
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Silent_Skies/pseuds/Silent_Skies
Summary: While lost on a mapping patrol, Krista finds a strange ring abandoned on the forest floor. Ymir insists on selling it, but Krista keeps it for herself. But little did she realize that keeping the ring was a terrible mistake. The ring is bound to her, cursing her with wings in place of her arms. In a world where the land is ravaged by monsters, such would soundmore like a blessing, but it isn't. Krista is unable to fly, thus rendering her unable to use the gear and making her completely helpless. As the curse sets in, she has no one else to turn to but her dearest friend, and potential admirer, Ymir.





	1. Chapter 1

The sun filtered through the thick canopy of the trees, dappling the many ferns and wild forest grasses with golden sunlight. The whirring of many different insects filled the damp air, along with the harmonious calls of birds overhead. Two riders on horses were slowly making their way through the overgrown foliage, bickering so loud that every animal from Maria to Sina could hear them. 

“Damn it. We should have stayed in our formation. Why’d you have to go off and try to act all tough? Face it, Krista. We’re lost.” This rider, a broad-shouldered girl with parted brown hair and freckles, was less than enthusiastic about the way they were headed. The other rider, however, seemed to know where she was going. Or so she said. In reality, despite her confident posture, she hadn’t had a clue where she was. But she wasn’t going to let that show. 

“Come on, Ymir; it’s just a little further.” She insisted, trying to hide her inner doubt. Ymir let out a sigh. The stress of being completely lost had gotten to her, and had put her into a terrible mood. “This is a waste. Why don’t you just admit that you have no idea where you’re going so we can get out of here and regroup with our formation by nightfall!” 

Krista whipped her head around. “Alright! I don’t know where we are, okay!?” She huffed. “Let’s just find a way out of here.” Ymir rolled her eyes. “Took you long enough.” 

They turned their horses around, hoping to get out of this thick forest and out into open land. For once, Ymir actually felt like she knew where she was going. As they retraced their steps, Ymir gave her horse a swift kick, signaling for it to pick up the pace so that she’d finally feel like she was going somewhere. Krista didn’t hesitate to hurry up and start sending her horse into a trot through the overgrown plants. 

After leaping over yet another overturned log, Ymir noticed that she couldn’t hear the sound of Krista’s horse behind her. Ymir groaned, knowing that this was a sign that Krista had gotten distracted by something yet again. And sure enough, that was the case.

Krista had gotten off her horse, and was examining something on the ground that was too small for Ymir to look at clearly from her distance. Ymir let out a deep sigh from her nose at the sight of Krista bent over, examining something that was on the ground. “Oh my God, not this again! This is what got us lost in the first place!” She yelled. Krista didn't budge from her position. Ymir jumped off her horse and walked over towards her. looking rather curious about what she could be so focused on. “Relax, It’s not like I’m going to take forever.” She said, still having her back turned to the very frustrated brunette. Ymir rolled her eyes. “If we end up being forced to do stable cleaning, this is entirely your fault.” Krista just ignored Ymir’s arguing and continued. She picked up the object and held it up in the sunlight.

A ring. 

“Hey, Ymir! Come check this out!” Krista shouted from her spot on the ground. Ymir shook her head, staring the smaller girl down in a toxic manner. “No. Let’s hurry up before it gets dark. You’ll have all the time in the world to gawk at that useless thing later.” Krista rolled her eyes. “Alright, Alright, let’s just hurry up and get moving.” She said. Ymir let out a sigh. “Finally, you said it.” Krista slipped the ring on her index finger and mounted her horse, giving it a kick to quickly send it into a fast-paced canter. 

Luckily, Krista had memorized a few landmarks and had managed to get them out of the dense forest, which was much to Ymir’s surprise. They had broken out of the heavy forest air, and had gotten out into the dry open fields once more. Ymir breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of open sky above her. She hated being in enclosed spaces. It was late afternoon, and the sun was beginning to go down. Krista was riding next to Ymir, examining the ring that she had found. It looked expensive. Not something an average citizen would own. Ymir struck up a brief conversation. 

“Weird. There aren’t any villages near here, let alone districts. So how could someone’s ring end up in the middle of that forest? I’m surprised you even noticed that thing in all those plants.” She said. Krista shrugged. “I’m not sure. And it’s a bit odd, too. It has all these weird symbols on it.” Ymir adjusted the reins on her horse. “Well, if we ever live to pass by a reputable town again, you can sell it; a ring like that will probably go for some good money.” Krista was taken aback by such a statement. “No! I’m keeping it!” Ymir rolled her eyes. “Alright then. Go ahead.” 

Now, despite their differences, Ymir had a bit of an attraction to Krista. Even if her way of showing attraction wasn’t what one would call “typical”. It wasn’t the shaky-legged, red-in-the-face attraction that would make someone stutter in their words, it was something different. Even though the two had spent the entire afternoon bickering, Ymir still made a promise to herself to look after her. The ring wasn’t that important to Ymir anyway; Ymir thought it would be best to sell it, but obviously Krista thought otherwise. 

As Krista slowly made her way across the field, she couldn’t help but feel that the ring she had slid on her finger had felt rather tight. It didn’t seem small when she had picked it up, which was odd. Krista just dismissed this. She could see headquarters in the distance by now, and wanted to make sure she got there before anyone would take a big enough notice to deliver punishment. But she felt a sudden wave of uneasiness as she got closer. She didn’t know why. Maybe it was just the anxiety of being punished. But a sudden pins-and-needles feeling made her nervousness spike. She was feeling an uncomfortable tingling along the length of both of her arms. She decided to shake herself off and ignore it. It’s nothing. Relax. 

By the time the two arrived at headquarters, the sun was casting a fiery light onto the sturdy stone building, and the surrounding area. The stables were already filled, which meant that Ymir and Krista were indeed, late. “Come on.” Ymir said, hanging up her horse’s saddle. “If we slip in, no one will notice anything.” Krista nodded sharply, trying to hide the fact that she was feeling a bit shaky. 

…

The mess hall was rowdy as usual. Even on the most boring days, you’d see people cracking jokes and discussing random topics. Ymir slowly stalked around the perimeter of the room, hoping to settle at a lonely table at a corner that was far away from Levi, Erwin, or any other senior member of the Survey Corps who would chew them out if they were caught. Krista followed. 

Ymir plunked herself down at a table, not hesitating to take off her jacket. After a few rounds of obnoxious stretching, she found a comfortable position, drumming her lanky fingers on the table while eyeing Krista with her signature smirk, which she knew the blonde had a weak spot for. Ymir hoped that a blush would cross her face at that attempt.

“So…” Ymir’s sharp gaze flitted from side to side. “You’ve been all shaky ever since you picked up that ring. What’s up?” Krista’s eyes went wide. “I-it’s nothing.” Ymir raised her eyebrows. “Oh yeah, definitely nothing” She said sarcastically. She held out her hand. “Let me see it.” She demanded. Krista sighed, and began to try and slide the ring off her finger. It didn’t budge. Krista felt a sudden wave of panic rush through her veins. She tugged at it again. It didn’t move at all. It was stuck on her finger. “I… can’t get it off.” She looked up at Ymir with rounded eyes. “I can’t get this thing off!” She whisper-yelled. Ymir placed a hand on her shoulder. “Hey. Don’t worry. It’s alright. You can try to get it off with some soap later.” 

Krista couldn’t help but notice that that same tingling feeling on her arms hadn’t gone away since she had noticed it. She wanted to at least check it out. She just hoped that it wouldn’t be some rash or bug bite from something out in the forest. She _had_ taken off her jacket once while she was in there. “Hey Ymir, I’m going to go to the bathroom. I’ll be right back.” Krista said hurriedly. Ymir gave a nod. “Alright, just don’t take forever.” Before Ymir could say anything else, Krista had already disappeared behind the exit into the hallway. But Ymir knew something was up, though. Krista had gone the opposite direction of where the bathrooms were.

Krista hurried down the corridor, her heartbeat racing, and the tingling feeling was only getting worse as she panicked. She picked up the pace to a swift run, knocking down a few crates in the process. Once she had ducked into a corner, safely out of anyone’s sight, she removed her jacket. Krista let out a sharp exhale as she placed a hand over one of her sleeves. She prayed that it would be nothing, and maybe just a scratch, at worst. But as she slowly rolled up her sleeve, she felt her stomach flip. 

What was on her arm was no bite or scratch. 

Going up her arm, all the way to her elbow, were a series of small white feathers.


	2. Chapter 2

Krista felt sick to her stomach. She lightly poked at a feather on her arm. The entire area along it tingled, making her shiver in discomfort. The feathers felt real, and she flinched at the creeping feeling that they gave her when she touched them. She brought her arm closer up to her to examine it more.

Surely enough, they were fully attached to her arm. They looked out-of-place on her pale skin; like something that was there but didn't belong, which was very much true. She didn't know what to do. These feathers were growing out of her arm the way a plant would grow out of soil. And it honestly scared her.

She sighed, sliding her sleeve back over her arm. This terrified her, but if she didn't get back soon, Ymir would easily take notice. She walked back down the corridor she had came from, trying to ease her breathing with a few deep breaths. But her usually smooth movements were slightly shaky as she walked. She just prayed that Ymir wouldn't notice her sudden spike in anxiety.

She entered back into the mess hall, which was just as rowdy as when she had left. Jean and Eren were getting into an aggressive round of arm-wrestling, while being cheered on by Connie and Reiner. In a more isolated area, Mikasa, Eren, and Sasha were engaging in some casual conversations that were too far away for her to hear. A few veterans quietly enjoyed their meal with a bottle of wine in a far corner.

She walked briskly along the perimeter of the room, sliding into her seat next to Ymir, who was already helping herself to a small loaf of bread.

Krista avoided Ymir's eyes this time, looking down at her sweaty hands on the worn wooden surface of the table instead. The ring was still on her index finger, completely stuck. Out of boredom, she started pulling at it, wondering if it would come off this time. It still didn't. She tugged at it again, fidgeting with it, but it still didn't budge. The more she tried to pull it off, the more uneasy she ended up feeling. This ring really was stuck. _Alright. Don't get yourself worried. Just yank it off with one pull. You'll be fine._ She breathed in, then out, trying to ease her shaky posture. But what she didn't notice was that Ymir was examining her through the corner of her eye.

She pulled at the ring with one sharp tug, but instead of it moving, a sudden rush went up her arms, almost like electricity, sending a series of chills in the exact area where she had noticed the feathers growing. She tried not to wince at the creeping feeling they were giving her under her jacket sleeves. It felt like bugs were under her skin.

"Still trying to get that thing off?"

The sudden sound of Ymir's voice made her tense up her shoulders, only to relax them once again with a sigh. "Yes. It's no big deal, though." Ymir's sharp gaze flitted around the noisy hall for a second, before stopping to stare the anxious blonde down. "You've been an anxious wreck ever since we got back. Is it that ring you're all panicked about?" 

Krista paused for a second. She didn't know if she could bear telling Ymir the truth. She had taken a strong liking to Ymir, and she knew that Ymir would be beyond disgusted if she told her about what she was breaking into a cold sweat about. So she just mouthed out a "Kinda... It's hard to explain." Ymir sighed. "At least eat a little."

Krista breathed in, managing to calm her rapid breathing and take a few bites out of a loaf of bread that Ymir had offered her. She definitely needed it. She had been on patrol all afternoon and had been stuck in the woods for about half of that time. She just tried not to think of the feathers. The mere thought of them made her feel sick, and she didn't want to lose her only decent meal. She had managed to calm herself down, until a sudden "Hey!" from behind her almost made her spill her drink. Sasha had come up from behind her, and was now lightly pushing her to wedge into the bench space between her and Ymir.

"Sasha, don't do that." Krista mumbled through clenched teeth, crossing her arms in mild frustration. Sasha immediately stepped back, guiltily scratching her neck. "Heh, sorry." Krista sighed. "It's alright. So, how was your day?" She asked, taking a sip from her drink. Sasha gave a shrug. "Okay, I guess. Kinda boring, though. Just scouting out mapping territory instead of doing actual fights."

Krista was about to respond, but Ymir's gruff voice joined in on the conversation.

"Sasha, why are you so eager to go out and fight anyways? All that's waiting for you out there is a titan's teeth. We're all better off on boring mapping patrols anyway."

Sasha crossed her arms, leaning back a little. "I guess you're right." Krista felt somewhat guilty as Sasha's ambitious smile slowly faded. The very brief conversation had been a good distraction though. Well, at least for now. She couldn't just push something this important aside. At some point, she'd have to tell someone. And despite her having friendly relations with most of the Cadets, she had a feeling that she could trust Ymir with this the most. Mostly because she was the least chatty and wouldn't go telling everyone else like a spoiled child.

The bell rang from it's position atop the ceiling, signaling the end of dinner and the end of the day. One by one, people rose out of their seats and filed out of the mess hall, all going in the same order to their rooms, the dining hall filled with the sounds of various conversations. Krista decided to stay and watch the hall empty out. Sasha got up, running to catch up with Connie. It took no time for her to exit the hall as well with everyone else. Krista, however, stayed. Now it was only her and Ymir left.

For a few seconds there was only silence. Her and Ymir were staring face-to-face in the empty room, the golden rays from the last of the sunset streaming in from the windows, making Ymir's tanned skin and dark hair almost glow. It was peaceful silence, however. They rarely shared moments like this, where they would just stare into each other's eyes, saying nothing. Krista felt her hands get sweaty again, and she prayed that she wasn't blushing. But with her rosy cheeks, that wasn't uncommon. Ymir leaned back a little, cracking her knuckles. "Eh, sorry for yelling at you back there. You can keep that ring if you want. Seems like it really does fit, eh?" She chuckled. Krista playfully rolled her eyes. This feeling was enjoyable, at it's least. Just sitting here, feeling the warmth from the last of the sun as it went down. Krista was about to say something, when a stern voice interrupted from the far end of the mess hall.

Levi's intimidating figure was leaned against the doorway, his stormy grey eyes watching the two like a hawk. "Hey. You two. Back to your dorms." he sternly ordered. Krista got up and gave a respectful nod. "Yes, Corporal." Ymir did something similar, and the two headed out into the hallway.

...

They went up the stairs side by side, and in all honesty, it calmed her. And it was a good distraction. The entire time, Krista had almost forgotten about the tingling the feathers were giving her under her jacket sleeves. It was bothersome, but it didn't bother her as much.

Ymir paused, opening the door to the girl's bunkers and holding it for Krista to walk through.

The girl's bunkers were the same as usual. People chatting while taking off their gear straps, girls undoing each other's hair, it was the same as usual. Krista headed over to a more isolated corner. She immediately unbuckled the complex web of straps she was wearing, shoving them all into a drawer. She then hurried over to her bed, grabbing a spare pair of standard clothes. Just a pale red skirt and black flats. Simple, yet comfortable.

She hurried down the hall, heading to her changing room. Headquarters was big, and had several empty rooms that didn't serve much of a purpose other than storage. But even then, many rooms remained empty. Thus, she had memorized the locations of a few where she could be in peace. She looked around, making sure no one could see. She slowly opened the creaky door, and went inside.

After changing into her skirt, she took off her jacket, placing it on a crate. She was about to exit, but when she reached for the doorknob, she felt her stomach drop.

The feathers had grown since she last checked them. They were now obvious bumps under her shirt, and the tip of one was even starting to poke through her sleeve. In a panic, she rolled her sleeve up. They were more than twice the size that they were when she had started noticing them, and they were layering up as well, starting to form on her hands and taking a solid form that almost looked like a bird's wing. They were reaching all the way past her elbow now, and she could see small ones going all the way up to her shoulder. It was no use. She couldn't hide them anymore. Not unless she walked around wearing a cape. She looked around in a frenzy, before pulling on her jacket and walking back out in a rush.

She walked briskly down the hallway, pulling her jacket sleeves to try and stretch them as far over her wrists as she could. By now her hands were clammy and sweaty, and her heart was thudding in her chest. She stuck to the side of the wall, away from the torchlight along the sides of the hallways.

She opened the door, shaking and sweaty. Everyone stopped what they were doing and stared. There was a brief moment of silence throughout the room, before everyone ran up to her, bombarding her with questions.

Mikasa pushed Sasha aside, grabbing Krista's shoulders and overall making her even more uncomfortable. "Is everything alright?" She backed away, lightly tugging at Krista's jacket. "How come you're still wearing this?" Krista slapped her hand away. "I'm fine, okay!? Now quit asking me!"

Mikasa stepped back, taken aback by Krista's sudden outburst. Krista pushed Mikasa aside, storming off to her bunk, which was at the far corner of the tiny dorm room. Normally, she enjoyed sleeping communally next to all her comrades. But now, she just wanted to get as far away from everyone as possible. She wrapped herself in the thin blanket, squeezing her eyes shut. She couldn't take a second of this. She strained her ears, listening to the murmurs of the the others.

"What do you think is going on with her?"

"Did something happen to her?"

"Should we get Ymir? She knows more about her than any of us do."

Krista let out a lengthy sigh. "I'm fine; I just need to be left alone." She mumbled, back turned to Mikasa and Sasha. But it was obvious that they weren't persuaded. Mikasa slowly approached her, placing her hand on her shoulder. "Listen, if you nee-" Krista whipped around, looking Mikasa in the eye with a harsh stare. "I said I'm fine! Now get out of my way and leave me be!"

Mikasa backed up at Krista's sudden outburst. She tugged Sasha along. "Come on. She doesn't want to be bothered."

Krista breathed a sigh of relief, turning back around. She pulled up her sleeve again, feeling an odd stiffness at her wrists. The feathers were still growing to a noticeable size, starting to spread at her hands as well. One of them at the tip of her wrist was bigger than her middle finger. If they kept growing at this rate, she'd have to tell someone. She lay in bed, pondering over what she'd do next. Maybe she could go steal a cape from someone.

She climbed out of bed, too nervous to even consider sleeping. Everyone had left to go tend to cleaning or stablework. Krista opened the door, looked around the empty hallway, and ran.

Krista bolted down the hallway, searching every empty room and office there was. Nothing. She didn't dare go into any of the senior member's rooms. She wouldn't want to be caught snooping around. She paused, wringing her sweaty hands. Her only choice was to go back. It'd be curfew soon anyway. Krista walked anxiously down the hallway, feeling sweaty and uncomfortable. She made her way up a small stairwell, looking behind her shoulder to make sure she wasn't being followed. The hall was empty, only lit up by the dim torchlight. Krista breathed a sigh of relief, heading back upstairs.

Krista decided to sit down over by a storage room and calm herself down before she'd have to go back into the dorms. She breathed in, then out, releasing the tension in her shoulders. She wiped sweat from her forehead, looking up at the high ceiling. Everything seemed calm at the moment, no one usually came down this way anyway. 

The sound of footsteps soon sounded to her left. Krista tensed up, worried that someone would find her all curled up into a ball with her jacket still on. She just hoped that whoever was out there would take a turn and leave her be. But they neared closer, on the contrary to what Krista wanted. She backed up against the wall, knowing well she'd have to explain at why she was out here and avoiding chores. She held her breath, waiting for the figure to come around the corner. 

The tall, broad shape of Ymir stalked around the corner in an almost catlike manner, her typical scowl etched onto her face. "What the hell are you doing out here?" She hissed, walking closer to her, to the point where she shadowed her, making Krista want to shrink back into the tiny space. "I-I can explain." She whimpered, beyond intimidated. Ymir's eyes narrowed into slits. "Can you really?" Krista got up. "O-okay... I can explain why I've been doing this, b-but you're not gonna like it." Ymir sighed. "Come on, how bad can it be?" She chuckled, crossing her arms. Krista breathed in, and took off her jacket, rolling up her sleeve. "This bad..."

Ymir's eyes went wide. "Krista... What the hell is this?"


	3. Chapter 3

Krista immediately felt a lump form in her throat the second she saw the horrified look on Ymir’s face. “I-I don’t know, okay!?” She stuttered. “I-I just came back from the patrol and then felt something on my arm and then I pulled up my sleeve and saw these and-” Krista cut herself off. She was rambling. “I just don’t know what to do.” She sighed, relieving the tension from her body. This time she actually felt like crying. Ymir was still staring blankly, clearly taking the time to process what was in front of her. “Holy shit.” She breathed. “Hold on. Can I… see those again for a second?” Ymir asked, still unable to process any of this.

Krista hesitantly lifted up her arm, looking away in embarrassment as Ymir lightly poked at the areas on her arm, tugging at a feather on her wrist, which made her flinch a little. “Oh my God… Krista… Are these…” Ymir lifted the girl’s arm, looking closer in absolute bewilderment. “...Feathers?” 

Krista gave a shaky nod.

Ymir stepped back. “Oh man…Krista.. how did this even happen to you?” she asked. Krista shook her head. “I don’t know.” she answered worriedly. Ymir kneeled down, looking down at her current condition with an expression that looked like a mix of worry and pure discomfort. She sighed, shaking her head. “Oh God. Alright. Is there any way you can… I dunno, hide them or something?” Krista shook her head. “That’s what I was trying to do. Ymir, they’re literally growing on me.” She pointed to the base of the longer feathers on her wrist. “They were only this big when I first noticed them.” 

Ymir’s eyebrows were furrowed in worry. “Are they anywhere else?” She asked. Krista shook her head. “Just my arms.” Ymir sighed, crossing her arms. Krista, however, was still in a complete panic. “Ymir, what am I even going to do about this? I can’t hide these for much longer. How big are these even going to be?” She panicked. Ymir took Krista’s situation calmly, letting out a heavy sigh. “Okay, okay, calm down. I can try and pull them out. That good?” Krista worriedly looked at her arm. “It’s a lot of feathers. It’s going to hurt.”

“Do you want these off you or no?” Ymir growled with a harder tone of voice. Krista sighed, crossing her arms to the best of her ability. “Fine.” She stuck out her right arm. “Do what you need to do.” 

Krista let out a high-pitched yelp as Ymir abruptly ripped three of them off without warning. Krista winced at the sudden pain, and immediately slapped Ymir’s hand away and massaged the injured area. 

Ymir growled at Krista’s reaction. “Oh my god, come on! You want these off, don’t you?” Ymir yelled, growing more impatient by the second. 

“Well I didn’t expect it to hurt that badly!” Krista fired back, her face flushing red. “At least tell me when you’re going to do it!” 

“Well okay then!” Ymir shouted, no longer caring about the secrecy of the situation. “I’m warning you right now!” She proceeded to grab Krista’s arm again and tear off a few from the base of Krista’s shoulder, earning another high-pitched yelp. “Okay! Cut it out!” Krista whined. “It hurts, goddamnit!” 

“Well do you have any better suggestions!?” Ymir roared. “I’m all ears!” Krista opened her mouth to argue back, but didn’t say anything, wiping a tear from her eye as she rubbed the irritated areas where Ymir had pulled the feathers off. She hated crying, and felt humiliated in front of her as more tears began to stream down her cheeks.

Ymir stared Krista down for a few seconds, and shook her head, stepping back, muttering to herself. Krista stayed silent, as she knew that the taller girl was blowing off steam. Ymir crossed her arms, looking at Krista with pity. Her voice was much lower and less aggressive than before, and her eyes had softened significantly. “Look. If it hurts that badly, then it’s too late; they’re already attached to you. Nothing more we can do about it.” 

Krista felt her throat tighten at her statement. “T-then what am I supposed to do? Wait until these things grow out into- what even are they growing into? Are they just there to make everything miserable for me or what?” She whined, staring down at the areas on her arms as if it would give her an answer. Ymir kneeled back down, holding up her arm and squinting at it. She turned it over, giving the feathers another look. “By the way they’re layering up, and by their current shape…” Ymir hypothesized. She looked back up at Krista, her eyes wide at the thought of whatever she was currently thinking about. “By the way they’re shaping up… I think they’re wings.” She whispered, astounded. 

Krista looked down at her arms in a mix of confusion, fear, and surprise. “Wings? But… how?” Ymir shrugged. “You’ve got feathers coming out of your arm. What other answer is there?” Krista glanced skeptically at her arms once again. “I guess. But wouldn’t they be on my back or something?” Ymir shrugged again. “Guess not.”

Krista looked back down at the state of her arms again. She could see what Ymir meant. The feathers closer to her wrists were longer and more widespread, becoming shorter and more layered at the base of her arm, imitating the structure of a bird’s wing. She tried to imagine the growing feathers on her arm as large white wings, and it jarred her. She couldn’t really see herself with wings as arms, but judging by her current circumstance, she had to. 

“I-” She paused, putting her head in her hands, face still flushed from crying. “God, what’s gonna happen to me?” She bolted upright as to look Ymir dead in the eyes with panic, gripping her shoulders. “Damn it, I can’t hide forever! The Scouts will know I’m missing in a matter of days! What happens then? Am I going to have to run away?” She whimpered, throwing herself into a downward spiral of visions of worst-case scenarios. 

Despite all this, Ymir was calm. Well, as calm as a person could be in this situation. “Alright, calm down. We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it, but we’re not going to get anywhere by crying about the future. What’s important is that we need to get you out of sight before this escalates. The-” Krista slapped a hand over Ymir’s mouth. “Shh! I think I hear someone coming.”

Sure enough, the sound of footsteps running on the worn wooden floors was nearing, and was about to turn the corner where they were sitting in a rather awkward position, with Krista in a more than questionable state. 

“Krista? Is that you?”

The lean figure of Sasha turned the corner, and was about to run towards the two when she stopped dead in her tracks, an increasing look of terror on her face. Her hands dropped to her sides, only to fly up to cover her mouth as her gaze met the feathers on Historia’s arms. “Oh my God… Oh my God… Oh my God what is this?” She slowly backed away, horror in her eyes. 

She began bolting in the other direction, but Ymir raced after her, catching up to her and tackling her before she could get far enough. Ymir turned her over and slapped her hand over Sasha’s mouth. “Listen. You saw nothing. Nothing happened here, you hear me?” She snarled. Sasha let out panicked grunts and pointed at Krista, who had significantly backed up in fear of what would happen next. She had raised her arms in front of her face defensively.

“Yes, I know.” Ymir growled in response to sasha’s muffled screaming and pointing. “Do you think I’m blind?” Sasha stopped flailing and Ymir removed her hand from her mouth. 

Sasha sat up. “I...W-What happened to Krista?” Sasha whimpered. “W-What’s that growing all over her arm?” 

Krista slowly shuffled forward, avoiding eye contact with both of them. “Feathers.” She whispered. “They’re feathers”

Sasha still kept the bewildered look on her face. “B-But how? I-I don’t get it. How is that even possible?”

Ymir stepped in between the two, sighing tiredly. “Look. We don’t know. All we know so far is that something happened to Krista a little while ago and now she’s slowly growing wings on her arms.” Ymir stated quite casually, as if such a thing wasn’t seen as impossible. Sasha’s arms dropped at her sides again, and it looked like she was ready to faint from seeing and being told such groundbreaking information. “W-Wings? That’s not possible! There has to be some other explanation!” She stuttered in protest. Ymir sighed heavily through her nose. “If you have any other claims as to why feathers are growing out of her arms, go ahead and share.”

Sasha stood up, looking Krista in the eye with worry teeming in her hazel eyes that mirrored the worry in Historia’s. She turned to Ymir. “What are you going to do with her?” Sasha asked, voice a lower and sadder tone compared to her former high-pitched whine. “I don’t know.” Ymir answered, walking over to sit herself down next to Krista. “I guess me and her could hide out in a storage room and wait for her wings to grow out before we try to find a way to get rid of them.” Ymir suggested. She turned to Krista, looking at her with a softer and more gentle gaze. “How about that?” 

Krista gave a small nod, wiping her eye with a finger. Sasha raised her eyebrows, putting her hand on her hip. “I can help you stay hidden if you want.” Krista’s eyes lit up. “Really?” Sasha nodded in reply. She looked more like the enthusiastic and headstrong girl they knew instead of the whimpering and terrified person she had been a few moments ago. Ymir got up, reaching out her hand for Krista to grab onto. Krista took her hand and slowly got up, pulling her jacket sleeves as low as she possibly could to try and hide the ever-growing feathers that poked out of her sleeve. 

***

The three slowly made it around the corner, with Sasha in the lead, eyes sharp and senses ready to alert Ymir and Krista of any movement coming from up ahead. Her heightened huntress senses were especially of good use to them now. Sasha waved the two over, and Ymir hurriedly walked down the hallway, Krista right behind her. A bead of sweat ran down Krista’s forehead. At any moment someone could come down the long corridor and discover the three. And if anyone else saw Krista in the state she was in, it was obvious she’d be shipped straight to Hanji’s office to be poked and prodded with God knows how many tools.

Sasha had made it to another three-way-turn in the corridor, and was about to peer over the edge when Krista lightly tapped Ymir on the shoulder. “Hey. There’s a storage room right there, to the left. Let’s just hide in there.” She whispered, cocking her head in the direction of a worn-out door. Sasha turned around. She looked back at the door, shrugging her shoulders. “Sure. It’s a place to hide, at least.”

Sasha opened the door, which creaked and groaned as she moved it. It was a fairly tall storage room, filled with crates with dusty tarps draped over them. It was completely dark, aside from a small window at the top which let in a tiny shaft of moonlight. “Well, it’s no luxury.” Sasha grunted. “But I guess It’ll do the trick.” 

Krista shuffled in, and Ymir followed. The ceilings were low and had a few cobwebs among them, and the wooden floor was definitely not in the best shape. But it was secure. The door locked from the outside, but it was better than nothing. “I think we’ll be good.” Ymir answered, sitting herself down. “Just go back and meet up with the others. If they ask where we went tell them Krista felt sick and I accompanied her to the medic.” Sasha nodded. “Alright. I’ll check up with you in the morning then.” Ymir grunted a “mhm” in reply. Sasha closed the door, shutting out the warm torchlight coming from the hallway. 

Krista sat down, staring at the floor. For a minute there was silence. Just Ymir, Krista, and the sound of Sasha making her way back to the dorm in the dark room. Moonlight shone in from the window, providing a small shaft of light which let them see each other.

“Aren’t you worried someone will realize you’re missing?” Krista asked, sitting up against a crate. Ymir raised an eyebrow. “Me? Of course no. I doubt they’d care about me.” She gave a light chuckle. “If it’s anyone they’d notice, it’s the ‘blonde goddess of the cadets’, the 'angel on the battlefield'.” Ymir exaggerated the last sentence to add a hint of humour to the situation. But Krista was silent, sadness lingering in her eyes. She sighed. “I should take off my jacket now. It’s starting to get uncomfortable. So are my shirt sleeves.” 

She slowly took off her jacket, and it was obvious that her condition had gotten worse. Several feathers had ripped the thin fabric of her shirt, and were starting to grow out of not only her wrists and arms but at her hands too. They were actually beginning to look like wings now. At this rate, they would grow several sizes in only a matter of days. Ymir could see the sadness in Krista’s eyes as she looked at herself. It was obvious she would do anything just to be a normal human again.

“Hey, do you think this has something to do with that ring you picked up?” Ymir asked, tilting her head in the general direction of where the ring was on her finger. Krista raised a blonde eyebrow and looked at it, tilting it in the pale moonlight. “Hmm, I never thought about that, but now that you bring it up, it seems realistic.” 

“It just makes the most sense to me.” Ymir stated. “The feathers only started growing after you put that thing on, and it’s probably why you can’t take that ring off too.” Krista slumped herself down against a sack of some kind of soft material. “It makes sense, but at the same time, it doesn’t. How can a tiny little ring do this? I… I don’t want to believe it, but I have to. I just don’t want any of this to be real.” She whined, slacking her feathered arms at her sides as she glanced hopelessly up at a cobweb on the ceiling. 

Ymir lay down, using a sack as a makeshift pillow and a dusty tarp as a blanket. “Just don’t worry about it for now and try to sleep. We’ll find a way to get rid of your wings soon, okay?” 

Despite Ymir’s attempt at comforting her, Krista still felt miserable. What if they didn’t? What if she would be stuck with wings for as long as she lived? What if someone found her like this and brought her to Hange to be experimented on? Krista sighed through her nose. It was no time to start getting anxious all over again. She should at least get some sleep. Maybe she could dream and briefly escape from the harsh reality of her state. Krista lay down opposite Ymir, trying to get some sleep despite the annoying tingling of the feathers on her arms. Out of nowhere, she thought of something.

“Hey Ymir?”

“Eh? What do you want?”

“Do you think I’ll be able to fly with these wings? Like when they’re fully grown?”

Ymir groaned, rolling over to face her. “Dunno. It’s unlikely, but I guess anything can happen at this point.”

The idea of it provided Krista with a bit of hope, even though it would be extremely unlikely. But the idea that maybe this wouldn’t be a total nightmare scenario after all made her feel a bit better. 

“Goodnight, Ymir.”

“‘Night.”


End file.
